Search for "best pain diary app" and what you mostly find are rankings copying each other. The problem is not the order but the question itself: which app is right depends on what you want to record and how much effort you can sustain - not on which feature list reads best.
This article is therefore not a review. It gives you a framework of nine criteria you can apply to any app. At the end we place PainTrack in that framework openly - including the points where it is not the right choice.
The nine criteria
1. How long does an entry take?
By far the most important criterion, and the one mentioned least often. An app demanding twelve mandatory fields per entry stops producing any data at all after three weeks. Check: how many taps does a minimal entry need? Does the notification take you straight into the entry screen?
The rule of thumb: under 30 seconds, or it fizzles out. Everything beyond that should stay optional.
2. Can you define what you track?
Some apps impose fixed categories, others let you create your own complaints. Presets are convenient as long as yours is among them - and useless as soon as it is not. Freely named entries with their own colour are more flexible, especially when several complaints run alongside each other.
It also matters that complaints can be recorded separately. Throw migraine and back pain into one curve and you can never separate them again afterwards.
3. Does the scale fit the complaint?
Not everything can sensibly be rated from 0 to 10. For complaints that are either there or not, yes/no is the more appropriate form; for rough classifications, mild/moderate/severe is enough. An app that knows only a single scale forces you into a precision you either do not need or cannot deliver. More on this in The 0 to 10 pain scale.
4. What does the app do with the data?
Any app can record. The difference is in the analysis: is there a trend across several weeks? Can several complaints be shown together? Can you see on how many days per month you were affected?
That is exactly where paper and spreadsheets fall down - and exactly what makes switching worthwhile in the first place. If an app only shows lists, you have bought a digital notebook, not an analysis tool.
5. Can you get at your data?
Two separate questions: is there a report for the consulting room - a readable summary as a PDF? And is there an export of the raw data that lets you take everything with you when you change device?
If both are missing, your records are tied to a single phone. For data you collect over years, that is a serious risk.
6. Do the notifications remind you sensibly?
A reminder that also fires on days you logged long ago gets swiped away after two weeks. Look for freely chosen times, selectable weekdays, and for the reminder to be skipped when the entry is already there.
7. Where does your data live?
Pain records are health data and therefore particularly worth protecting. The decisive question is: does it leave your device?
Warning signs are a forced account with no discernible reason, cloud storage without a choice, advertising or analytics components in a health app, and a privacy policy that leaves sharing with "partners" open. An app that works entirely locally cannot even raise these questions.
8. What does it really cost?
Free basic versions with a subscription upgrade are the norm. Check which feature sits behind the paywall - and whether it is one you need. If even logging entries is limited, the free version is just a demo. Also look at whether there is a one-off purchase alongside the subscription, if recurring costs bother you.
9. Is it a medical device or self-documentation?
Here two categories part ways that are often conflated:
- A prescribed digital health app (in Germany a "DiGA", an app on prescription) is a certified medical device, prescribed by a doctor and paid for by the statutory health insurers. Access runs through a prescription or the insurer, and the feature set is fixed to the certified purpose.
- A self-documentation app is a tool for you. It makes no diagnosis, prescribes no treatment and is not reimbursed - in exchange you can use it immediately and without detours.
The two do not exclude each other. If you are waiting for an appointment or a prescription, your own documentation is exactly the groundwork that makes that appointment more useful.
Specialised or across conditions?
For individual conditions there are very good specialised tools - in the headache field, for instance, the free headache calendar published by the German Migraine and Headache Society, which is tailored precisely to headache and painkiller days. If you are documenting only that one complaint, a specialised tool is often the closer fit.
As soon as several complaints run alongside each other, though - migraine and back, joints and fatigue - you need something that can show them together.
Where PainTrack sits in this framework
So that you can place it, here is the honest answer to all nine points:
| Criterion | PainTrack |
|---|---|
| Time per entry | the core is one tap on the intensity; note and tags are optional |
| Your own complaints | freely named pain definitions with a colour (Free: 1 active, Pro: unlimited) |
| Scales | 0–10, yes/no, mild/moderate/severe - all three in Free as well |
| Analysis | trend chart 7/30 days (Free), 90 days and all time with Pro; weekly trends, activity heatmap |
| Report and export | PDF doctor's report and .strack export/import with Pro |
| Reminders | several times of day, selectable weekdays, skipped when an entry exists |
| Data | encrypted on the device, no account, no server; optional Face ID / Touch ID |
| Cost | free download, Pro as a subscription or one-off purchase |
| Category | self-documentation - not a medical device, not a prescribed app, not reimbursed |
And the points where PainTrack does not fit:
- The app exists for iOS only. For Android you need an alternative.
- There is no body map for marking where the pain is - the location belongs in the name of the pain definition or in the note.
- There is no dedicated medication field. You note the product, dose and effect in the free-text note, ideally in a fixed wording.
- There is no cycle tracking and no automatic weather link.
- Importing from Excel or CSV is not supported; only the app's own
.strackformat can be transferred.
If one of these points is central for you, another app is the better choice - and that is entirely fine. A tool that fits 80 per cent and gets used is worth more than one that does everything and is abandoned after three weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Will my health insurer pay for a pain diary app? Only in the case of a prescribed digital health app, i.e. one certified as a medical device and eligible for prescription. Ordinary self-documentation apps like PainTrack are not reimbursed.
Is PainTrack a prescribed digital health app? No. PainTrack is not a medical device and cannot be prescribed. The app is for personal documentation and does not replace diagnosis or treatment.
Is PainTrack available for Android? Not at present. The app is available for iPhone and iPad.
What does PainTrack cost? The download is free. Permanently free are one active pain definition, all three scales, entries with tags and notes, charts across 7 and 30 days, two weekly trend cards, the heatmap and reminders. For unlimited pain definitions, longer periods, the PDF doctor's report and data transfer there is Pro, as a subscription or a one-off purchase.
Does my health data end up in a cloud?
Not with PainTrack. Every entry stays encrypted on the device, there is no backend and no user account. For moving to a new device, Pro offers an export as a .strack file.
Wouldn't a paper template do just as well? For getting started, often yes. The comparison with all its pros and cons is in Printable pain diary template or app?.
PainTrack is not a medical device and does not replace medical diagnosis or treatment. The app is intended for personal documentation and self-observation.